Item

An item (Japanese: どうぐtool) is an object in the Pokémon games which the player can pick up, keep in their Bag, and use in some manner. They have various uses, including healing, powering up, helping one to catchPokémon, or to access a new area.

Obtaining items

Items are obtained in several different ways. They can be given to the player by characters within the game, be bought at a Poké Mart for money, or found by the player throughout the Pokémon world. The latter form of items are contained within item balls, spherical containers resembling a Poké Ball. To obtain the item, players move next to it and press A while facing it. In Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, many items are found in treasure chests modeled after Poké Balls; in addition, items are often found in bulk from these chests, rather than only singular. Another method introduced in Generation II is picking Berries off a Berry tree. Join Avenue was introduced in Pokémon Black and White 2, allowing players to buy certain items in bulk, as well as Berries and some rare items. Pokémon encountered in the wild will sometimes be holding items, which can be obtained by catching them using a Poké Ball or by using either Trick, Thief, Switcheroo, or Covet. Also, in certain areas in Generation VI, various scenery will appear in the background during some battles. Using specific moves, depending on the kind of scenery, will break the scenery and cause an item to be found at the end of the battle, with the message "<player> found a <item> in the aftermath."

Most items can be obtained at any time, but there are a small number of permanently missable items in some games that become unobtainable after the player has progressed beyond a certain point.

Item ball images

Gen

Spr

Description

I

A standard item ball from Generation I. The gray color will change depending on the game. It has the same design as a Poké Ball.

II

A standard item ball from Generation II. This is the same basic image as Generation I, but with standardized colors to make it look more like a Poké Ball.

III

A standard item ball from Generation III. The image has been further altered, making it clearly look like a Poké Ball.

IV

A standard item ball from Generation IV. The image is close to being exactly the same as Generation III, but with slightly different shading.

V

A standard item ball from Generation V. This image is slightly more compact, with a more vivid coloring than previous generations.

VI

A standard item ball from Generation VI. This image has been upgraded from a sprite into a fully detailed 3D model.

An item ball from Generation VI containing a TM or HM. The Poké Ball is colored differently to make it stand out.

Hidden items

The tuft of grass (highlighted) that gives away some hidden items in FR/LG

Items can also be hidden from view rather than found in an item ball. These items typically aren't visible to the player without the use of an item-finding tool. Many times, a seemingly empty path can lead to a hidden item. In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, some hidden items are revealed by a momentary flash when a player enters a room. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, some hidden items can be found in visibly different tufts of grass. These are most commonly in Berry Forest, where Berries reoccur in these spots after a certain amount of time.

Recurring items, aside from those bought in Poké Marts, are somewhat rare within the Pokémon series. Generation I had no recurring items whatsoever. Generation II introduced recurring items with Apricorn trees and Berry trees, on which new Apricorns and Berries would grow every day.

In Black 2 and White 2, the recurring items differ slightly, as do the locations.
A TinyMushroom may occasionally regrow in the fenced-in "garden" outside the Season Research Lab, and a Big Mushroom may occasionally regrow in a patch of grass in the trees to the immediate south of the Mistralton Cave entrance. A TinyMushroom may occasionally regrow behind the Celestial Tower on Route 7, and on a small rise on Route 12 as well. A Heart Scale may wash up on one of the shorelines of Undella Bay, or on a patch of sand in Humilau City, once more near the Black Belt on Route 13, or next to the rock at the bottom of the staircase immediately east of Lacunosa Town. A Pearl may wash up on the beach between the two staircases in Undella Town (in front of the Sage). A Big Pearl may wash up on the small dune near the Treasure Hunter on Route 13, north of the Parasol Lady. Some items may also wash up on Route 9 over time. The Challenge Rock also returns; however, only a Stardust is produced.

In Generation VI, Honey will regenerate in at least four locations periodically: one next to the railroad tracks on Route 18, one in the top-right corner of the fenced-in patch of grass outside Shalour City on Route 12, and two in the Pokémon Village, one in the topmost pavilion and one across the river from it. Pretty Wings will regenerate in at least two places periodically: one in a bush immediately south of the Pokémon Center in Couriway Town and one beneath the tire in the Pokémon Village. Prism Scales will randomly regenerate in the middle square of grass in the waterfall above Couriway Town. An Oval Stone will periodically regenerate in the Unknown Dungeon along the left-middle stalagmite. A Tiny Mushroom will regrow occasionally in the farthest-right mushroom stalk in Laverre City. As in Generation III on Treasure Beach and Generation V along the beaches in Unova, items will randomly wash up on the beaches in Kalos, including along Routes 8 and 9 and in Shalour City. As in previous games, some of these items include many valuable items.

Generation VI also reintroduced the idea of recurring Berries. In these games, a rare Berry drops from its tree approximately once per week for the player to collect. There is one Berry tree found on nearly every Route. The list of Trees is as follows:

There is a woman in Driftveil City who will give the player a Heart Scale if she is shown a Pokémon knowing the requested move.

There is a Fisherman in the "Hip Waders" club on the Village Bridge who will give the player Dive Balls once per day for showing him the requested Water-type Pokémon, with the condition that it must have been caught that day.

Once per day an Ace Trainer on Route 4 will give the player five or one Swift WingW2 or a Muscle WingB2 for showing himW2/herB2 a Pokémon with the same or a higher AttackW2 or SpeedB2 stat than the number specified.

Once per day a Worker in Twist Mountain will give the player a random fossil from a previous gen game.

Once per day a businessman in Castelia City's Studio Castelia will give the player a choice of one Cheri, Chesto, Pecha, Rawst, or Aspear berry if the player shows him a Pokémon of the type he specifies.

Once per day a lady in Shopping Mall Nine on Route 9 will ask the player to buy her a Hyper Potion and provides the money to do so. If the player talks to her again with a Hyper Potion in their bag, she will reward the player with an Energy Root.

A stand on the seaside part of Coumarine City will have one of the following condition-curing Berries left on it each day: Cheri, Chesto, Pecha, Rawst, or Aspear.

A girl beside the Café in Laverre City will give the player a Poké Doll once per day if shown a Pokémon 10' tall or taller.

A young man beside the gate in Laverre City will give the player a Poké Doll once per day if shown a Pokémon 0.8" or smaller.

A girl in the house southwest of the windmill in Dendemille Town will give the player a Leppa Berry once per day if shown the requested TM.

A young girl in the Poké Ball Emporium in Lumiose City will give the player either several Heal Balls or one Luxury Ball once per day if her question is answered in the affirmative.

The Loto-ID Center in Lumiose City will provide the player with one of the following Items once per day depending upon how many numerals of the player's Pokémon's ID numbers match: Moomoo Milk for one digit, PP Up for two digits, PP Max for three digits, Rare Candy for four digits, and finally a Master Ball for all five digits.

Item types

Throughout the Pokémon world, the Bag is used to carry items. Since Generation II, items have been separated into categories to help with overall organization. These categories have varied between games.

Items

Escape Rope

The Items pocket contains all items that are not put in another pocket. Some items in the Items pocket are below.

Poké Balls

Mail

The Mail pocket contains mail, an item given to a Pokémon to communicate with others. Mail only had their own pocket in the Generation IV games.

Battle Items

The Battle Items pocket contain battle items, items that increase a Pokémon's stats temporarily in battle. Battle items only had their own pocket in the Generation IV games.

Medicine

Potion

The Medicine pocket contains various items that can heal various afflictions of a Pokémon. While originally part of the general Items pocket, it has had its own pocket since Generation IV. Some items in the Medicine pocket are below.

TMs & HMs

The TMs & HMs pocket contains TMs and HMs, items which when used, teach compatible Pokémon a move, providing a wider movepool for Pokémon to learn from. Some moves will have additional uses outside of battle. HMs cannot be discarded; in Gen V and onward, TMs have this trait as well, as they are reusable. TMs and HMs have had their own pocket since Generation II, except in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, where they are instead stored in the TM Case.

Key Items

The Key Items pocket contains Key Items, items that generally can only be obtained once in gameplay and cannot be traded between games. Often these are items which the player must deliver to a non-player character, but other times they are intended to be kept and either aid the progression of the storyline or traveling. Key Items rarely have anything to do with the player's Pokémon and are mostly specific to the game. They can never be discarded, however, certain items will disappear from the player's Bag during storyline events. Key Items have had their own pocket since Generation II.

Item storage

Items that are obtained are stored in different places. Initially, when an item is obtained, it is placed in the player's Bag, and from Generation II onwards, into a specific pocket of that Bag. When a section of the Bag becomes full, players will not be able to pick up any other items of that type. To make space, players must store their items within their PC, accessed at a Pokémon Center as <Player>'s PC. In Generation IV, this problem is eliminated by having no limit on items in the Bag, and the player's PC is used for other purposes. The player also has the ability to toss items away: this will delete them from the Bag. Key Items, HMs, and, starting in Generation V, TMs cannot be tossed.

Held items

Since Generation II, certain items have been able to be held by Pokémon to heal or to enhance their power. Healing items can be used in battle without taking up a turn, but must be natural for them to work. Artificial items such as Potions and Full Heals cannot be used by Pokémon during battle. Held items also have other uses, such as an aid to evolve during trading or battle. Mail was also introduced as a hold item, in which players could send customizable messages with their Pokémon upon trading.